Free Kansas Boat Bill of Sale
Kansas boats run on one of the country's purest registration-only systems: no title exists for any watercraft or boat motor, so the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks leans hard on the bill of sale — its own guidance tells sellers to hand the buyer one (no notary needed). Registration is $42.50 for a three-year period, handled online, at state parks, regional offices, boat registration agents, or by mail to the KDWP office in Pratt. Two quirks worth knowing: the seller must notify KDWP in writing within 15 days of the sale, and new owners are asked to include a printed photo or an old-fashioned pencil tracing of the HIN with the application.
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Kansas Boat Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
Kansas sales tax (6.5% state plus local rates) applies to boat purchases. The KDWP registration itself is $42.50 and covers a three-year period.
Inspection Requirements
No inspection — but KDWP asks new owners to submit a printed photo OR a pencil tracing of the HIN with the registration application, a uniquely hands-on verification step.
Kansas Boat Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Write a complete bill of sale — HIN, make, model, year, length, engine HP, price, date, both signatures. KDWP itself instructs sellers to provide one, and no notarization is needed.
- Verify the HIN on the hull against the seller's Certificate of Number before paying.
- Take a printed photo or pencil tracing of the HIN — KDWP asks new owners to submit it with the registration application.
- Seller: notify KDWP in writing within 15 days that the vessel was sold.
- Buyer registers online, at a state park, regional office, boat registration agent, or by mail to the Pratt office — $42.50 for the three-year registration.
- Buyer accounts for Kansas sales tax (6.5% plus local rates) on the purchase.
- The trailer is separate: it titles and registers through the county treasurer like any Kansas vehicle.
Common Pitfalls
- Hunting for a title — Kansas has never titled watercraft or motors; a seller with only a Certificate of Number and a bill of sale is giving you everything that exists.
- Skipping the written 15-day sale notice to KDWP — it's the seller's only way off the registration record.
- Forgetting the HIN photo or tracing — KDWP's application asks for it, and leaving it out stalls the registration.
- Assuming the boat paperwork covers the trailer — the trailer transfers through the county treasurer under Kansas vehicle rules.
Pro Tip
Kansas boats: no title exists — a solid un-notarized bill of sale, a written 15-day seller notice to KDWP, a HIN photo or pencil tracing, and $42.50 for three years covers the whole transfer.